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FIA Pure McLaren GT series set to go international as second season calendar announced

28 Nov 2018

International round added for second season of FIA Pure McLaren GT series

Drivers will compete in specially prepared McLaren 570S GT4 race cars

Full ‘arrive and drive’ package available

The FIA approved Pure McLaren GT series championship is set to go international in its second season as next year’s championship provisional calendar is revealed.

Racing McLaren 570S GT4s, the six-round championship will kick-off in early May in Portimao, Portugal, as one of five European tracks before heading to the famous Bahrain International Circuit in November 2019, the championship’s first ever foray beyond Europe.

Five of the championship’s circuits are current Formula 1 venues including Spa Francorchamps, also the site of founder Bruce McLaren’s 1968 Grand Prix victory for McLaren.

The championship will then go on to visit the Hungaroring outside Budapest, Hockenheim in Germany’s Rhine Valley and Silverstone in October.

Drivers will be competing for overall FIA Pure McLaren GT championship honours. In addition, the Bruce McLaren Cup class championship will be held for drivers who have held their racing licence for under twelve months and have not competed higher than club level in that specific year.

The 2018 championship format returns for next year with six rounds and two races per weekend. Each competitor can take advantage of testing on Friday, with two practice sessions, a 20-minute qualifying session and a 30-minute race on Saturday and Sunday.

The calendar is still subject to FIA approval.

“After the success of season one, the 2019 Pure McLaren GT championship calendar promises our drivers competing in the McLaren 570S GT4s even more fun and excitement with the addition of a track like Bahrain.

“The Pure McLaren GT series is all about McLaren enabling our customers to experience the exhilaration of racing our 570S GT4 cars while allowing them to focus on improving their race craft alongside meeting like-minded racers in a relaxed, informal family-friendly setting. The whole Pure events team is already gearing up for 2019 and looking forward to welcoming existing and new customers alike to our extended McLaren racing ‘family’.”Jolyon Nash, Executive Director, Global Sales and Marketing, McLaren Automotive.

Ends

Notes to Editors:

2019 FIA Pure McLaren GT race calendar*

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

3 to 6 May, Portimao31 May to 3 June, Spa28 June to 1 July, Hungaroring30 August to 2 September, Hockenheim11 to 14 October, Silverstone26 to 28 November, Bahrain

*subject to FIA approval.

A selection of high resolution images accompanying this release is available to download from the McLaren Automotive media site – cars.mclaren.press

About McLaren Automotive:

McLaren Automotive is a creator of luxury, high-performance sportscars and supercars.

Every vehicle is hand-assembled at the McLaren Production Centre (MPC) in Woking, Surrey, England.

Launched in 2010, the company is now the largest part of the McLaren Group.

The company has three defined product families: Sports Series, Super Series and Ultimate Series which are retailed through over 80 retailers in 30 markets around the world.

McLaren is a pioneer that continuously pushes the boundaries. In 1981, it introduced lightweight and strong carbon fibre chassis into Formula 1 with the McLaren MP4/1. Then in 1993 it designed and built the McLaren F1 road car - the company has not built a car without a carbon fibre chassis since. As part of the Ultimate Series, McLaren was the first to deliver a hybrid hypercar, the McLaren P1™.

Announced at Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2018, the company’s Track25 business plan will see it invest £1.2billion in research and development to deliver 18 new cars or derivatives by the end of 2025.

2017 saw the company launch further models including the second-generation Super Series, the 570S Spider and the McLaren Senna. In 2018, the company launched the 600LT and the McLaren Speedtail, the next Ultimate Series and McLaren’s first ever Hyper-GT of which only 106 will be produced.

To support the development, engineering and manufacture of its range of innovative sportscars and supercars, McLaren Automotive partners with world leading companies to provide specialist expertise and technology. These include AkzoNobel, Kenwood, Pirelli and Richard Mille.

McLaren Group:The McLaren Group is a global leader in luxury automotive and technology and comprises three businesses: Automotive, Racing and Applied Technologies.